Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-06-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
A Three Days international Conven-
tiOn OF Sunday-schoOl Promoters
and Teachers.
Interesting Reports Thorough and Eff
6Cient Organization Discussed by
the Delegates.

The Fifth International Sunday school
Convention was held at Chicago on the
LIST, I'd and Sd days of June. There was a
large attendance of delegates, every section
Of the country being represented. Reports
On Sunday y-school work, essays, speeches,
and lectures on the various branches Of
work to be done in Sunday schools, occu-
pied the time of the delegates during the
lhree days session. The Statistical Secre-
tary, Mr.. E. Payson Porter, presented an
entertaining paper on the purposes of Sun
day-scbool work during the past year, from
wLich We make the following extract
During the last term the State OF Delaware,
the province Of British Columbia, and tho Ter
ritorics OF Idaho, Utah, and Washington have
been orrauized also Louisiana Rnd Wisconsin,,
reported at the last convention as lapsod, hnve
been reorganized. Pennsylvania has been
added to the list Of banner states, every county
having organized for Sunday school work. One
hundred and ninetv-four banner counties have
been reported-a gain Of eighty over the last
report, and 1,4il counties are reported COM
pletoly organized by townships or districts,
each county being banner county. The
States of Arkansas, North Carolina, and South
Carolina, tho prov nce of Prince Edwards s
Island, and the Territories OF Arizona and
Now Mexico reported organized at the last in
ternational convention are now reported as
lapsed 1t has been tho purpose OF tho Inter-
national Sunday-SchoOl Association to stimu-
late, through its statistical work, tho work OF
interdenominationa organization. While 1t is
desirable that accurate statistics be secured
from any reliable source, it Is more important
that each State, Province and Territory should
know from actual canvass the exact condition
of the work in its respective territory. This
can only be accomplished by thorough
interdenominational organization. Each coun-
ty in the Unit States is sub
cincts, parishes. boroughs, or districts. The
county ,s ssqndaS fn ssho34u ho 34uxiisry interdenominS
finnAI association, or where the population is
sparse let two or three townships be united IN
reporting TO tho county, the county to the state
| or province the State to the international con-
| vention. As an aid to completeness, IL is rec
omnt ndod that maps OF the field should DO
made locating the Sunday schools by n system
! Of waters, colors representing the denomina-
| tions.
Rev. II. G. Woodruff made an interest
ing report on the Foreign Sunday School
Association. He gave lucid insight into
the methods adopted for the introduction
of the International system in foreign
countries. In France and Central Europe
the work is most active. In Bohemia alone
there are 1883 scholars in the association,
and in the province of Moravia l, 400 schol-
ars. In Italy, Spain, aud Portugal en-
couraging progress has been made. DIR.
Woodrutf's address was followed by an ap-
propriate missionary hymn. Mr.. Edward
Towers, honorary Secretary of the London
Sunday School Union, was introduced, and
the delegates and Wis tors oil arose to give
the English delegate a cordial welcome
Mr. Towers read resolutions of greeting n6
sympathy from the London society. "Ir
| England" said he, I'VE do many things a:
YOU do here, but in some details we have
different methods. We believe in max n
the schools pleasant for young people
especially for young men. We find i
necessary to compete with the attractions o.
the world. In Scotland n novel plan hal
been adopted to interest the rough lads
who are difficult to control. A number o.
bands of militia have been organized, il
which the boys have been kept in stric
discipline ut drill, and the discipline il
carried into the school-room. We hav,
also organized a Bible Reading Societ,
which has 100, 900 members, all of whom
have promised 10 read from the Bible every
day."
"Better Organization" was the subject o
an interesting discussion, and numbe
of speakers presented their views as to th
best methods for extending the usefulness
OF Sunday school work. Rev. Juliu
Grammar, DID,, rector of st. Peters Epis
copal Church, Baltimore, said that the frs
essential of teacher was personal piety
Without it, there could be no permanen
success achieved in The Sunday school
The Bible should be tie textbook of tn
school; il was the charter and compass o
the church, and the infallible standard o
faith and morals. Organization was in
operative, for without it an army became
mob. w. Ii. Hall, of Connecticut; L. g
Wheeler, Oregon; ID. Z. Ward, Dakota
Rev. II. w. Bailey, Kentucky; and II. A
Mott, Minneso,a, also spoke on the subject
and gave illustrations of the work bein
done.
Rev. J. A. Worden, d. D., of New Jer
sey, sroke on missionary Sunday schoo
work. The necessity for thorough mission
nry labor was shown by the fact that owe
nine million of children in the States wer
vet outside the schools. The European ma
tions were sending over hosts of peopl
who had not received tho advantages of ed
ucation, and, indeed, many of them wer
imbued with sentiments of hate and antipo
thy TO government of all kinds. Their chill
dIen were not likely to grow mp much bet
ter if the Sunday school did not gathe
them in.
Mr.. w. A. Duncan, Now York, spoke o
the subject of country Sunday evan
gelization and home classes. He advo
cnted the organization OF Slate, county, an
town as the only way in which to reach th
masses. The civil and political organiza
ton of the country was the guide Tor th
Sunday schools, and by that means onl
could the fullest success be attained. Th
wants of distant districts could only be as
rtained by such asscmblages as Stat
conventions, town and county meeting
and visiting commte, 8. The bulk of th
work of evangelization was yet east {
, Chicago.
Gen. Clinton b. Fiske was called upo
TO speak on temp, rance, and in respondin
TO the invitation the General said that b
hardly dared 10 advocate his ideas regard
! ing that subj ct before so mixed an Assem-
, blage. for they were too pronounced fC
most people. lie looked upon the churc
and Sunday scho J as the most potent faC
tors in q, curing prohibition, and evei
. pulpit oug to be the place of all othei
where the principles of temperance shoul
, be thundered into the ears OF the peopl
, There was no snch obstacle in tho way
the progre 8 OF tho church and Christiani
! as the saloon, and it must be removed
the efforts of I. ose within the church, n,
by laws.
Two PAPERS on college Boat Racing
, particularly timely in view of the Ne
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